I took this pack on the Catalina Trail - 3 of us had Osprey Aethers and the two others had Kelty and Teton Packs. Each of us who had the Aether loved the comfort but when it came time for a rest stop for fuel (snacks and hydration) all us Osprey users noted that our snack foods ended up in the main compartment because none of us wanted to expose our foods to wildlife in the Osprey's mesh side pockets.

The other two guys had great big zippered side pockets (like 4 of them) and they proceeded to show us how they use them for organization of first aid packs, snack foods, electronic devices, and each had a general "stuff" pocket for clothes lines, knife, utensils, etc. We Aether users were all envious of those pockets.

I also noted that for mountaineering, or applications that require a helmet, you will want to keep soft goods in the top compartment and leave a bit of extra space so your helmet can push into it when you need to straighten your windpipe for heavy breathing. I found this to be very important as I literally had to take the pack off on my first helmet hike to catch my breath.

And Finally.... I advise that anyone using this pack with a hydration bladder "USE THE OSPREY HYDRATION BLADDER" BECAUSE IT IS DESIGNED TO SPREAD THE WATER OUT ACROSS THE BACK PAD. First trip out I used a camel pack bladder and noted it's bulb-tube shape had rounded the back pad so that only the middle 4 inches was rubbing against my back rather than a flat pad. That sucked! It was quite uncomfortable and one of the other Osprey hikers had the same problem, while the third Osprey hiker didn't because he had the Osprey Bladder. In the end, it is a great pack, I kinda wish I had purchased the 85 liter rather than the 70 as it is a tad small for a Mt. Ranier Climb (mainly because it lacks side pockets for crampons, and similar stuff), but it is a great pack for 3-4 day trips and very comfortable. I plan to add one of the Osprey day packs that are designed to piggyback the bag to overcome the organization issue.

I upgraded from an old external frame backpack that my dad bought in the 70s for hiking in the Alps. So, I was long over due for an upgrade. The Aether 70 is Awesome to hike in. I just did 20 mile, two day backpacking test hike on the Appalachin trail with this pack, and I love it. I packed just over 50lbs in it, and it handled the weight very well. I wish it had more pockets, but other wise I love this pack. I am going to take it out soon for a 40 mile trip.

Great product. Going on a European trip and decided to buy this, and although the price is a little high I do not regret it. Very comfortable and easy to use. Took a bit to figure out how to get the daypack off...and when I did the only con I can say about this is that the daypack should not be used for Europe, unless you WANT to get mugged haha...

I recently used this pack for an 8 day no-resupply trek through the Ouachita National Forest along the Ouachita Trail. It performed flawlessly even though I had it loaded to 55 lbs (just outside the green handling zone) at the start. It wears "heavy" when it is loaded to that weight, but never became painful; it always carried the load on my hips. Great quality pack. Just a side note, I attached an Osprey DayLite to the back of the unit because I just did not have enough storage. If you are planning something like what I just did, go with the 85L. It will serve you better in the end.

This is a great pack. It's big enough to carry a full week's worth of stuff, but it compresses small enough to be great for a weekend or even an overnighter. This pack is extremely lightweight for its capacity, meaning that the padding is not as thick as others its size. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. I feel that the pack does a nice job of distributing weight to my hips, so the more minimal padding is preferable. Overall, this a great pack, especially for the money.[...]